Live Simply, Laugh Often, Love Deeply
by Mailai
Summary: ON HIATUS: In her final year at Hogwarts, Lily Evans will learn the most important lessons of life: live simply, laugh often, love deeply. A Lily/James Potter fanfic.


Cold England – it was virtually an epithet. It was only late-August but already the winds were blowing hard and fast. The few villagers that braved the cold were wrapped up tightly in coats and scarves, faces lowered against the sharp gales. In a small semi-detached property, a girl of seventeen looked out of a window, the glass misted over with condensation, and she drew rough sketches and patterns with her finger. The chilled iciness was pleasing to feel against the immense heat radiating from inside. Petunia was complaining of catching hypothermia again, when two weeks ago she was sure she'd "simply melt" in the sun outside.

Lily's ear had been fine-tuned to the sound of flapping wings for weeks, and just three days ago she'd received the letter she'd been waiting for. The inconspicuous envelope had dropped neatly on her bed, and the tawny owl who had carried it indulged in a few head rubs for a moment before taking flight back through her bedroom window. The letter contained details welcoming Lily back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and a list of books she would need to complete her final year. The letter also contained the added pleasant surprise – although not really a surprise, if one was familiar with Lily Evans – that she had been appointed Head Girl. Her parents had been thrilled and had cooked a special celebratory meal. The only one not pleased with the news was Petunia, who ate in silence.

Now it was simply a waiting game. Lily loved coming home to her family, but with her friends living all over the country it was hard to get together and she missed them terribly during the holidays. It was something her friends did not quite understand – most of them came from magical families and used the floo network to meet each other regularly. Lily's house didn't even have a fireplace. It had not mattered so much when she'd had Severus-

Lily winced. The hurt caused by their last encounter had faded with time, but when she thought of him after not having done so for a while, it was like salt on a still-healing wound.

_Just seven more days_, she thought, tracing a smiley face on the glass panel. _Seven more days_.

* * *

><p>"Lily! Lily ov- move! Lily to the left… no my left… y<em>our right<em>!"

Lily laughed, wildly turning this way and that to locate the voice yelling at her so insistently on Platform 9 ¾. A hand suddenly gripped her elbow and she whirled around to see the face of Agnes Lumley looking disapprovingly at her.

"Okay those were really simple instructions, Lily. Please don't tell me that clever brain of yours has dulled over the monotony of summer."

"Hopefully not, I guess we'll find out soon enough." Lily hugged her good friend, who squeezed her back with a laugh.

"Come on, we're over here."

"We're? Iria's already here?"

Lily pulled her case behind her at Agnes' insistent tugging in the direction of the Hogwarts Express. The crowds of parents eventually dispersed and Lily was able to glimpse groups of boys and girls chattering excitedly about various summer expeditions and changes in schedules. A few called out greeting when they noticed Lily approaching and she smiled in return.

"So?" A friendly face approached Lily at the edge of the platform and looked at her expectantly.

"So…" Lily asked, waving as a friend from fifth year Charms walked by.

"So! So did you get it?"

Lily turned back to Iria Ballard, who was brushing away the attentions of a teenaged male beside her impatiently.

"Yeah, I got it."

Passers-by at that very moment jumped back in surprise as Agnes and Iria let out high pitched shrieks. And enveloped Lily in a group hug. Lily laughed happily and joined in as they jumped up and down like idiots.

"So I've got a Prefect and a Head Girl as best friends. I better not get in trouble this year," said Agnes extricating herself from the hug.

"You never get in trouble anyway," said Iria, smiling at the boy beside her to show she hadn't forgotten he was there.

"I never get _caught_," Agnes corrected, smugly. "Anyway, anyone else to say goodbye to or are we all set to rush forth and steal a carriage to ourselves?"

"Nope, all good, goodbyes are done, all set to rush forth and so on."

"Same same," Iria nodded and tugged her suitcase with one hand and with the other grabbed a handful of jumper of the boy who had been trying to get her attention before. He too grabbed his own suitcase and followed meekly behind her. "Introductions on the train, come on, I'm not sitting with first years again."

Lily linked her arm with Agnes', pulling on her case and strolling behind Iria and her man at leisure, knowing the girl would most likely bag a carriage ahead of them.

"You know who he is?" Lily asked, smiling at the sight of the magnificent train. She felt a familiar thrill that never seemed to fail her when she saw it.

"Not a clue. Doesn't say much this one, except to her. Seems nice though."

They struggled with their cases, pulling them awkwardly onto the train and made their way slowly down the narrow walkway to find Iria. It was necessary to be cautious, as stepping on a small child or pet was easily done in the cramped corridor and was often more trouble than it was worth. Spotting the space Iria had claimed was easy as she had charmed a piece of parchment to hover on the carriage door proclaiming it 'reserved' and included various threats of bodily harm to anyone other than 'Agnes Lumley and Lily Evans' who dared to enter.

Inside, Iria and was watching her mystery man push her case onto the rack above the opposite seat, a battle which he only just about seemed to be winning. Iria was notorious for her packing, and always brought much more than she needed 'just in case'. She looked over at her friends hovering outside the door, grinned and pointed to the muscles in her arm and fanned her face with her hand. Lily shook her head smiling as she and Agnes entered the carriage.

"Would you mind putting their cases up too?" Iria asked her friend, her voice full of sickly sweet honey. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Why not? _Anything_ for you," he said, taking hold of Agnes' case, although the tone of his voice betrayed his real feelings despite the words of devotion.

_Interesting_, Lily thought, _not so meek after all_.

"This is Neil, he's in Ravenclaw. We met on holiday in France this summer," Iria revealed and patted Neil on the small of his back, causing him to start and lose grip on Lily's suitcase which he'd begun to push onto the rack. Lily quickly reached up to support the side of the suitcase that had been slowly sliding towards her and smiled at Neil humorously.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans."

Neil nodded. "James' Lily, right?"

Lily pressed her lips together in a tight smile and slowly shook her head. Even outside of Gryffindor she seemed tethered to James in everyone's mind. She felt the familiar feeling of frustration begin to well up and took a deep breath to release it.

"Nope. Just Lily."

"Oh, you're really not dating? Sorry."

"It's okay," she shrugged, brushing off the misunderstanding, and claimed the corner of the carriage by the window for her own.

"Wonder who got Head Boy?" Agnes thought aloud.

"I don't know, it didn't say in my letter. I kind of hope it's Finkleby."

"Finkleby?"

"Hufflepuff prefect last year," Iria said.

"He was great last year in helping me with DADA," Lily commented, stretching her legs on the seat in front of her, careful not to prod Neil as he sat beside Iria.

"You could have taken up Potter on his offer y'know," Iria said smirking. "He is best in class. Well… vying with Sirius."

"Don't remind me," Lily said sighing. Anything that James excelled in over her was still something of a sore point with her, despite their truce. Having Sirius beat her was just unthinkable and painful.

"Yeah, Davies is a good choice. Nathaniel from Ravenclaw would also be good," Neil added.

"House solidarity, good quality," Agnes approved.

Lily let her head fall back against the wall and stared out the window. The rumble of the train's engine vibrated through her seat and she felt the familiar jolt as the train jerked from idle standby to motion. This was the last time she would leave this station to begin a new year at Hogwarts. It felt like the moment should seem surreal, but getting the train to Hogwarts was so familiar she couldn't quite realize the feeling. Still, Lily placed her hand on the glass as the station melted away.

* * *

><p>She must have slept a good part of the journey, because when Lily opened her eyes she could see they were close to Hogsmeade. Iria and Neil were conversing in hushed tones and Agnes appeared to be humming quietly, something she usually did without realising when bored or unoccupied. After a few minutes staring out the window as the village in the distance loomed closer, Lily became aware that Iria was trying to catch her attention and opened her eyes.<p>

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Are we almost there?"

"Yes, I can see Hogsmeade."

"Weather's holding," Agnes observed, looking at the grey cloud cover. "Maybe the first years will get a nice trip across the lake instead of nearly getting drowned like last year."

A long-standing tradition saw that first year students attending Hogwarts always reached the school by boat on the lake. While Lily and her friends had encountered only slight drizzle on their boat ride, last year the first years had been soaking wet and miserable when they had entered the hall. The view of the school from the lake was unlike anything Lily had ever seen before when she had first arrived at Hogwarts, but the covered coaches had been a godsend on a number of occasions.

As the train pulled to a stop beside the platform, there was a palpable increase in volume. The occupants of Lily's carriage brought down their luggage and waited until the bulk of the students had left the train before venturing out themselves. The skies were grey but bright and above the sound of children's chatter and laughter were many booming voices of teachers calling for first year students and leading them towards the boats. Lily added her luggage to a pile on the platform. They would be taken later to the school, following the coaches of students.

In front of the station stood a long line of pitch-black coaches. They appeared to most to move along the winding roads entirely of their own accord, but a few were aware that they were in fact pulled by great dark winged-horse creatures called Thestrals, which could only be seen by those who had seen death. Agnes had been able to see them from the start, because of her grandmother. Lily and Iria were unable to see them, but were still aware of their existence through Agnes.

The three girls and their new companion sat in one of the carriages. Two other people entered to make up the numbers and the carriage was pulled forward suddenly. Lily gazed at the magnificent castle ahead of them, a smile on her face. The school loomed large and awe-inspiring, as magnificent as it had been when she was just 11 year old, unaware of all that magic would hold for her.


End file.
